IT Marketing and Business Development

Summary

Work experience

May 2016present

Business Development

Responsible for new business development from the idea stage through sales and client communication. I coordinate and participate in all aspects of Atricore's business growth and development cycle. Key team member as this IDAM solutions company has grown from the start-up stage to a mature company with clients and business partnerships worldwide.

May 2015April 2016

Technical Writer / Editor

CACI , International: National Services Group

I write and edit technical documents for publication, from project conception to publication. This requires the analysis of project requirements and development of documentation to meet those requirements. I complete project analysis in consultation with project engineers, subject matter experts, end users/customers and other sources, as necessary.

Oct 2013May 2015

Account Executive: P/T Contract, Remote

I assist with incoming sales leads; following up with potential clients and curating Atricore's client communications. I also act as a communications liaison between Atricore's technical support staff and current clients.

Dec 2009May 2015

Technical & Marketing Writer/Editor: P/T Contract, Remote

I provide technical and marketing writing and editing services for this Identity & Access Management software company. To be effective, I regularly need to edit and polish documents and marketing materials that have been written by a diverse group including software engineers as well as marketing pros; this includes a substantial amount of re-writing. The finished product must be compelling and comprehensible to a wide range of readers, in a highly competitive marketplace dominated by large corporate interests. Projects have included: software documentation, a complete overhaul of Atricore's Web site, PR announcements, writing new product marketing white-papers, case studies, abstracts for Webinar trainings, Webinar scripts, screencasts and blog content. I work directly with the CEO, CTO and engineers at Atricore.

Nov 2012Sep 2013

Technical Writer/Editor: Contract, P/T

I provided technical writing and editing services for this dynamic avionics technology company. Aspen Avionics brings the most advanced technology and capability into General Aviation cockpits. Projects included the writing, editing and the manipulation of graphics (i.e. tables, illustrations and figures) of technical user’s manuals (Pilot Guides) for the Evolution Flight Display system and the new Connected Panel™, which creates a wireless link between a pilot’s smart devices and their certified panel-mounted avionics. At Aspen, I mainly worked with Adobe InDesign CS6 and Adobe Acrobat.

Apr 2009Dec 2010

Technical Writer/Editor (Per Diem)

This independent, non-profit organization is dedicated to advancing the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness and brain injury. I edited content which ranged from medical/scientific to marketing or PR pieces, and I worked with a variety of contacts: PhD level researchers, graduate students and administrative personnel. Projects included writing or editing grants for medical research as well as editing research articles for publication. The work required that I unravel the disparate writing styles of non-native English speaking graduate students and their highly-trained, Ph.D-level mentors. I rewove their incredibly specialized medical/scientific prose into readable, compelling sentences and paragraphs, without sacrificing accuracy.

Apr 2008Apr 2010

Writer/Editor (Remote/Contract)

This work involved writing and editing content for OpenLogic's“ Wazi”, an online journal of all things open source. I would be assigned an article, usually written by a software engineer, sometimes an engineer for whom English is a second language. The articles concerned various aspects of open source software or processes: from 'how-to' pieces, to Internet Copyright Law, to best practices when introducing free software in developing countries. My job was to produce a final version that was not just grammatically accurate and well-written but also smart, funny, irreverent and technically accurate; and that fit into the overall tone of this cutting-edge online journal. I was regularly asked to enhance the articles with original content in order to preserve the journal's singular tone while maintaining the editorial 'we'.

Technical Writer, Content Team

This contract involved developing content for OLEX, a certified library of open source software. I conducted extensive on-line research, making full use of my ability to efficiently ferret out relevant information from the immense amount of data available on the Web. I loved this contract, as it gave me a chance to hone my “translation” skills by transforming even the driest, most dense engineer-speak into readable prose. The end result had to be accessible to anyone – while still targeting the sophisticated software engineers who are the library’s primary audience.

Jan 2013Oct 2015

Executive Editor

I edit, design, print and distribute this popular, targeted niche magazine with the help of a small staff. The bi-monthly magazine comes alive with contributions from New Mexico-based writers, photographers, equine business professionals and artists, who all share a passion for horses, great writing, art and design. Horse Around New Mexico is a beautifully designed, full-color print magazine, distributed for free at horse and farm-related businesses throughout the state. I conceived, created and manage the magazine's online presence with an interactive web site, social media and a bi-monthly digitized version. Supported by our advertisers, HANM is proud to be a dynamic force for positive growth and community participation in the vibrant New Mexico horse-lovers community. www.horsearoundnm.com

Education

Aug 1980May 1984

B.A. English Literature

Bard College has been at the forefront of higher education for more than 150 years. Blending traditional liberal arts with innovation in a changing educational landscape, the College trains the next generation of leaders and critical thinkers.

Graphic Design

I regularly use Adobe InDesign CS6 to create and edit layouts, illustrations, and tables for use in online and printed material. Adobe Framemaker is my go-to for long technical documentation projects. MS Word and Office Suite for miscellaneous projects.

References

Gianluca Brigandi, CEO, Atricore, Inc.

“Karen is a great communicator and extremely bright. I've always been impressed by her ability to contextualize complex technology and provide a "translation" to fit the marketplace. At all opportunities, Karen has demonstrated her skill to perfectly get the point in "specialist jargon", then transform it into compelling and clear plain English, that everyone can read and understand. Above all, she's great fun to work with, generous with her time and advice. I really can't say enough great things about Karen, and I'm confident she'll make an invaluable addition to any company.”

Greg Bell, Marketing Manager, OpenLogic

“Karen has done freelance writing and editing for me on numerous occasions, and her work always exceeded expectations. She's a frighteningly creative writer, terrific editor, 100% reliable, and a true pleasure to work with. My only regret is that I couldn't find more work to send her way on a consistent basis. I'd hire, contract, and/or recommend Karen in a heartbeat.”

Kimberly McClintock, Lead Technical Writer, OpenLogic

“I have worked with Karen in various capacities over the last ten years. Most recently she supplemented my team of writers and editors at OpenLogic, developing accessible technical content for our library of open source software. I can't speak highly enough of Karen. Her cleverness and creativity are boundless, her editing skills first rate and her prices reasonable. She fearlessly dives in and works up readable material on new topics whether they are technical or legal or marketing related, and she's a stellar researcher. Finally, Karen has that most important skill of a good technical writer - the ability to charm information from reluctant engineers.”